Local Hospital Promotes Flu Prevention

A new flu prevention program is being put to action at the South Georgia Medical Center. The South Georgia Medical Center is implementing new procedures to help fight the flu. They are working to keep the sick patients from spreading germs to the staff, other patients, and healthy visitors.

Patients with flu-like symptoms seeking treatment are being asked to wear a mask at all times. They will also be given a medical kit to help prevent the spread of germs.

"All these people, all these patients will be exposed. If one employee catches the flu from the patient, we may have an epidemic so we are really worried,” explains Dr. Willy Saurina, Infectious Disease Specialist.

Each year an estimated 36,000 people die from the flu. Yet for a variety of reasons, many still don't get the vaccination. Experts say the flu shot is affective if it is given in time.

"What I find is people say I don't feel good. I think I’m gonna go get a flu shot, so that is the wrong thing to do because that means you already have the flu in the system and then you get a shot to activate it,” says SGMS Infectious Disease Coordinator Brenda McDaniel.

The preventative measures they're taking at SGMC are in response to some of last year's larger outbreaks.

"We learned a lot last year from SARS that we need to be better-prevention mode. We know that vaccines are prevention but not everyone gets vaccinated,” McDaniel adds.

SGMC is hoping that other private doctor's offices will implement similar programs as well.

What are the costs associated with providing these medical kits to patients? For the patients, these medical kits are free and the hospital says the inexpensive supplies are worth the cost to help prevent the spread of the flu.

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Influenza (the flu)Influenza, also known as the flu, is a contagious disease that is caused by the influenza virus. It attacks the respiratory tract in humans (nose, throat, and lungs). The flu is different from a cold. Influenza usually comes on suddenly and may include these symptoms:

Fever

Headache

Tiredness (can be extreme)

Dry cough

Sore throat

Nasal congestion

Body aches

These symptoms are usually referred to as "flu-like symptoms."

Anyone Can Get the Flu, But the Disease Is More Severe for Some People

Most people who get influenza will recover in one to two weeks, but some people will develop life-threatening complications (such as pneumonia) as a result of the flu. Millions of people in the United States, about 10% to 20% of U.S. residents, will get influenza each year. An average of about 36,000 people per year in the United States die from influenza, and 114,000 per year have to be admitted to the hospital as a result of influenza. Anyone can get the flu (even healthy people), and serious problems from influenza can happen at any age. People age 65 years and older, people of any age with chronic medical conditions, and very young children are more likely to get complications from influenza. Pneumonia, bronchitis, and sinus and ear infections are three examples of complications from flu. The flu can make chronic health problems worse. For example, people with asthma may experience asthma attacks while they have the flu, and people with chronic congestive heart failure may have worsening of this condition that is triggered by the flu.

How the Influenza Virus Is Passed Around

The flu is spread, or transmitted, when a person who has the flu coughs, sneezes, or speaks and sends flu virus into the air, and other people inhale the virus. The virus enters the nose, throat, or lungs of a person and begins to multiply, causing symptoms of influenza. Influenza may, less often, be spread when a person touches a surface that has flu viruses on it – a door handle, for instance – and then touches his or her nose or mouth.

The Flu Is Contagious

A person can spread the flu starting one day before he or she feels sick. Adults can continue to pass the flu virus to others for another three to seven days after symptoms start. Children can pass the virus for longer than seven days. Symptoms start one to four days after the virus enters the body. Some persons can be infected with the flu virus but have no symptoms. During this time, those persons can still spread the virus to others.

How To Know if You Have the Flu

Your respiratory illness might be the flu if you have sudden onset of body aches, fever, and respiratory symptoms, and your illness occurs during November through April (the usual flu season in the Northern Hemisphere). However, during this time, other respiratory illnesses can cause similar symptoms and flu can be caught at any time of the year. It is impossible to tell for sure if you have the flu based on symptoms alone. Doctors can perform tests to see if you have the flu if you are in the first few days of your illness.

What You Should Do If You Get the Flu

Rest

Drink plenty of liquids

Avoid using alcohol and tobacco

Take medication to relieve the symptoms of flu

Influenza is caused by a virus, so antibiotics (like penicillin) don’t work to cure it. The best way to prevent the flu is to get an influenza vaccine (flu shot) each fall, before flu season.

Do Not Give Aspirin To a Child or Teenager Who Has the Flu

Never give aspirin to children or teenagers who have flu-like symptoms – and particularly fever – without first speaking to your doctor. Giving aspirin to children and teenagers who have influenza can cause a rare but serious illness called Reye syndrome. Children or teenagers with the flu should get plenty of rest, drink lots of liquids, and take medicines that contain no aspirin to relieve symptoms.

The Myth of the "Stomach Flu”

Many people use the term "stomach flu” to describe illnesses with nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. These symptoms can be caused by many different viruses, bacteria, or even parasites. While vomiting, diarrhea, and being nauseous or “sick to your stomach” can sometimes be related to the flu — particularly in children — these problems are rarely the main symptoms of influenza. The flu is a respiratory disease and not a stomach or intestinal disease.

Weekly Flu Update: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/flu/weekly.htm

Source: http://www.cdc.gov (Center of Disease Control Web site) contributed to this report.

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